Surface Water_Content Page_Water condition lists

Water Condition Lists

Impaired Waters, Waters in Restoration, and Waters Attaining Standards

Every two years, Sections 303(d) and 305(b) of the Clean Water Act (CWA) require states to publish a list of all waters not meeting water quality standards and an overall report on surface water quality status of all waters in the state. To comply with this reporting requirement, Wisconsin produces three lists.

  1. Impaired Waters: This is the official CWA 303(d) list. It contains waters not attaining water quality standards that do not yet have a restoration plan in place (TMDL, alternative restoration).
  2. Waters in Restoration: These are impaired waters with a restoration plan in place. This list was first created during the 2020 cycle.
  3. Waters Attaining Standards: These are waters assessed for at least one metric and show no impairment for the metric(s) assessed. Waters have been identified since 2014. The list was first created during the 2018 cycle.

The development of three separate lists more closely aligns our methods with the listing methods of other Midwest states.

Draft 2024 Lists Available for Comment

The draft 2024 Water Condition lists are ready for review. A public comment period on the List updates will be held from November 6 to December 6, 2023. To learn about the updates, watch the public informational meeting held on Monday, November 20. 

Draft 2024 Water Condition Lists:

Watch: 2024 Water Condition List Updates: Public Informational Meeting: November 20, 2023

Submit comments by Dec. 6, 2023 to DNRWYWaterbodyAssessments@wisconsin.gov or:
Department of Natural Resources
c/o Kristi Minahan, Water Quality, WY/3
P.O. Box 7921 Madison, WI 53707

Until the 2024 lists are approved by the USEPA the 2022 versions are the current, official lists (see Previous Lists below).

2022 Water Condition Lists

The 2022 Water Condition Lists were submitted to the U.S. EPA on April 1, 2022, through the ATTAINS database. The final submittals and a spreadsheet of the lists are available below:

Restoration Prioritization

Restoration actions can only occur on a subset of Wisconsin's waters at any given time due to the large number of water resources in the state. When the impaired waters list is created a priority ranking of high, medium or low is given to a listing. This ranking, also known as TMDL Status, is based on the current prioritization framework document. For more information on this framework document and TMDL prioritization, visit Surface Water Quality Restoration.

Data Viewing Tools

The Impaired Waters Search Tool may be used to search DNR's database current and previous impaired waters, as well as listing update proposals. 

The Surface Water Data Viewer can be used to search for impaired waters listings and proposed listings in an interactive mapping application. To view impaired waters on the map, click the "Show Layers" button to expand the "Impairments and Assessments" grouping and check the "Impaired Waters Status" layer. The definitions of the listing status categories are provided in the Impaired Waters Search Help Tool.

EPA 5-Part Categorization

Assessed waters are placed in one of five categories depending on if there is an impairment and if there is a restoration plan in place.

Wisconsin further divides categories 4 and 5 into subcategories.

Categories and Descriptions

1 Attains all uses. Healthy Waters
2 Attains at least one use; no use impaired.
3 Insufficient information for an attainment decision.
4 An impairment exists and a cleanup plan (TMDL or alt.) has been approved by the EPA. Restoration Waters
5 An impairment exists but a cleanup plan (TMDL or alt.) is still needed. Impaired Waters

Category 4 (Restoration Waters) Subcategories

Subcategory Description Key Defining Factor
4A A state-developed TMDL has been approved by EPA or a TMDL has been established by EPA for any segment-pollutant combination. TMDL approved by EPA.
4B Other required control measures are expected to result in the attainment of an applicable water quality standard in a reasonable period of time. Alternative to TMDL approved by EPA.
4C The non-attainment of any applicable water quality standard for the segment is the result of pollution and is not caused by a pollutant. No pollutant.

Category 5 (Impaired Waters) Subcategories

Subcategory Description Key Defining Factor
5A Available information indicates that at least one designated use is not met or is threatened, and/or the anti-degradation policy is not supported, and one or more TMDLs are still needed. This is the default category for impaired waters. TMDL needed. Default subcategory.
5B Available information indicates that atmospheric deposition of mercury has caused the impairment and no other sources have been identified. Mercury only.
5C Available information indicates that non-attainment of water quality standards may be caused by naturally occurring or irreversible human-induced conditions. Natural or irreversible conditions.
5P Available information indicates that the applicable total phosphorus criteria are exceeded; however, biological impairment has not been demonstrated (either because bioassessment shows no impairment or because data are not available). Phosphorus only.
5W Pollutant/impairment a low priority for a TMDL because the impaired water is included in a watershed area addressed by at least one of the following DNR-approved watershed plans: adaptive management plan, adaptive management pilot project, lake management plan, or Clean Water Act Section 319-funded watershed plan (i.e., nine key elements plan). Alternative cleanup plan.
Previous Lists

The following table contains previous years' Water Condition Lists and related documents.

EPA Approval column: Before the Water Condition Lists are official, they need approval from the U.S. EPA. These are the approval documents from the EPA to the DNR for each assessment cycle.

Public Comments and DNR Response column: Prior to sending the lists to the EPA for federal review, the lists are sent out for a public comment period. These are the DNR's responses to public comment for each cycle. For additional information, visit Public Participation in Water Quality Assessments.

Year List EPA Approval [PDF] Public Comments and DNR Response [PDF] Additional Supporting Documents [PDF]
2022
2020
2018
2016
2014
2012
2010    
2008    
2006    
2004      
2002      
1998